


Here Together

by blizzard_of_69



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Jack's a little shit, M/M, Pitch adopted Jack, bunny is scared of cute boys, but only because he feels ignored, first fanfic, i literally just wrote this as character study, im nervous, like a stray dog, no one actually fucks im warning you, north is a mother hen, pitch is an ignorant fuck, pitch is his favorite person, sandy is dying, takes place in 1967, together since day one au, tooth is crazy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-03-23 16:37:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13791750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blizzard_of_69/pseuds/blizzard_of_69
Summary: Together since Day One Au.The guardians find themselves imprisoned, at the mercy of Pitch Black and his Boy friend.(This whole fic is basically just the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where the dog has the key around it's neck and the prisoners are trying to tempt it over with a bone.)





	1. Bunny Has A Hangover

The first thing Bunny registered when he opened his eyes was pain.

His head was throbbing, a flaring, pulsing storm that radiated from the back of his head, consuming every thought. To show it’s sympathy, his stomach threatened to capsize itself, burning his throat with the creep of vomit. Swallowing the nausea, he grasped stupidly at the cold floor, trying find his sense of gravity. This feeling was uncomfortable, but familiar.

He’d been hit over the head. Hard.

Bunny forced his breathing to slow, pushing down any sprouting panic. Drunkenly, he managed to drag himself into a sitting position by the wall, and his eyes cleared. They were underground, surrounded by dark rock. North was on the floor, unconscious, a mountain of red cloth and blubber. His swords were missing, and likely so were his snow globes. Sandy was wide awake, smiling comfortingly and waving at him. Bunny smiled back, feeling his fear begin to drain away. Sandy's smiles typically had that effect.

Gradually, the pain in his head gentled to an almost tolerable level, and his senses began to reintegrate. There was a persistent clicking sound behind him, and realized their cell had bars. A wall of them.

Tooth was gnawing on one.

“Stop.” Said Bunny. Tooth paused, staring at him from the corner of her eye in surprise.

“Your teeth are strong, yeah. I have a headache.” He said. Tooth withdrew her jaw, smiling apologetically.

“Sorry.” She said. Bunny just hummed, nodding his head and closing his eyes.

North awoke with a loud cry, startling them.

“What! Pitch!” He sputtered.

“Yeah, mate.” Said Bunny. He couldn’t remember much, they’d been searching for a child. And they’d found it… then... suddenly there'd been fog? Everywhere? He’d been confused, he’d been attacked. The memories were blurred, slipping from his mind too quickly to catch. There was no transition between then and now. He’d been in the woods, now he was here. It didn't feel right, like the universe had denied him the right to remember.

Someone was coming.

Slowly, because his balance was still off, he stood and peered through the bars. Outside was a large cavern. Bunny’s eyes couldn’t decide what to focus on, the room was dim, strung with crooked bridges and stairs that went nowhere, twisted architecture that hurt to look at. Nightmares lingered by the walls, gathering in dark, glittering puddles, probably waiting for something to do.

He heard something, and focused on the five or six darkened hallways that stemmed from the room. Pitch was emerging from one, head and hands surfacing first, the rest of him dripping from the shadows like liquid. Soon after, another body followed him. It entered much more naturally, a grainy silhouette taking form as the light hit it.

 _Who is that?_ Bunny thought.

His face was beautiful.

His skin was pale, but the pinkness on his cheeks and the tip of his button nose protected it from looking pasty. His jawline was strong, but harsh and delicate. It was knife sharp, forming a tight corner when it met his throat and then curving sweetly up to his ear. Bunny’s hands itched to draw it, to trace the shape to paper, to catch the skin’s softness with a paintbrush.

The eyes were an attention trap. A beautiful shade of blue that reminded Bunny of a glacier struck by the sunrise. Those eyes, that sparkled from under fluffy white hair, brightly contrasting with the deep blue of the hoodie.

The awe left him when he realized he’d seen the hoodie before. Last night, on the child that wasn’t really a child.

Oblivious to Bunny’s anger and disappointment, the boy trotted along by Pitch’s side, playing with a long, wooden stick. The Nightmares seemed particularly excited to see him, prancing over and nosing at his hands. He smiled with teeth brighter than wild stars, and Bunny felt sick.

After lingering a moment or two, the pair finally headed toward the cell. Pitch smiled crookedly, stopping a few feet away. The sight of his jagged, yellow teeth didn’t disturb Bunny near as much as the boy’s clean, smug grin.

“Good morning, my darlings.” He said, spreading his arms in greeting. “Pleasant dreams?”

“I had a dream. You were being a dirty coward, _again_ , using shonky tactics to ambush us.” Said Bunny.

“Really?” Asked Pitch. “In my dream, you were all being really stupid and I was demolishing you. Oh! And it came true! Wonder, that.”

“God, I wish you’d seen yourselves.” The boy snickered. His voice was deeper than Bunny had expected, very masculine, but smooth. “So funny-”

He cut himself off when he noticed Pitch glaring at him.

“Jack, stop. I’m doing this. Sh.” He said.

Jack broke eye contact shamefully and nodded, directing his gaze off to the side and shrinking a little. Bunny sighed. His headache was coming back with a vengeance, and although the nausea was fading, he had very little patience for this back and forth.

“What’s this about, Pitch?” He asked. Pitch grinned.

“Well, I really, really hate you all, but I’ll offer you this: Either rot here until you’re forgotten, or.” Pitch paused, giving them a strange look. “Join me.”

At their dead-pan looks, he elaborated.

“Well, you won’t technically be ‘you’. I’d have to make some changes first.”

“We’ll be fearlings?” Bunny asked. Pitch nodded.

“Ok.” Said Tooth. She clasped her hands and turned to the others. “Guys, let’s all rot.”

Sandy gave her a sassy thumbs up, and North chuckled. Bunny grinned smugly at Pitch, who only stared back at them, unimpressed. He looked like a hardened teacher dealing with a laughing group of middle-schoolers.

“Laugh while you can about it, but, much like you, this offer is temporary.”

“We’ll sleep on it.” Said Tooth. Pitch looked like he wanted to hiss at them, but only strode off, his boy tailing close behind.

Hours passed.

The group had settled along the walls of the cell, left in their respective silence. North sat in the corner, stroking a hand down his beard and peering out the bars, while Sandy took a nap on Tooth’s shoulder. Bunny was surprised he could sleep with how much her leg was bouncing.

Despite their bravado from earlier, concern was growing. Pitch’s death threat held weight, Christmas was only a few weeks away, and Tooth’s fairies couldn’t go more than a day without instruction. Sandy was the calmest, but he had the least time of all. Bunny would be alright for months, but that meant he’d have to watch the others fade away, a dark thought he was desperately trying to shake off.

They were broken from their rumination by the sound of oncoming footsteps. Bare footsteps. And, it was faint, but Bunny thought he could hear metal clinking under fabric.

“Hi, friends.” Said Pitch’s boy. He strode in, twirling his staff and giving them a disarming smile. It only strengthened Bunny’s distrust of him.

“Pitch told me to guard you guys, and uh, check if you change your mind.” The boy said. “I’ll be doing that.” He ran a hand through silky hair, looking off somewhere, before clasping his hands together. “Um, so. Questions?”

“Yeah. Let us go?” Asked Tooth.

“Nah, you stay. You stay there. Any others?”

“Yes.” Said North. “Who are you? Why are you helping Pitch?”

The boy shrugged.

“Oh. Y'know. Just a favor. For a friend.” He said. At their continued staring, he shifted uncomfortably. “That’s it, that’s all.”

Bunny narrowed his eyes at the jittery response, but ultimately dismissed it in favor of asking his own question.

“I got one. Why are those horses eating eachother?” The boy swung around, making his hair swish, bouncing on his feet a little. Sure enough, a pack of nightmares had surrounded one of the smaller ones, biting and ripping at it.

“Oh! Crap! I don’t know!” He yelped, rushing off. Bunny leaned back, turning to his friends.

“I don’t like him.” He said.

“He’s not so bad.” Said Tooth.

“You know, I don’t think those words came from your head. Or even your heart.” Said Bunny.

“That’s fair.” Tooth said. Bunny sighed, stifling a smile.

“...We need to get outta here.” He said.

“First is first. We need keys.” North said.

“In his pocket.” Said Bunny. “But how do we get ‘em?”

“Will be piece of pie!” North crowed. Bunny just shook his head.

“Yep. Alright.” He said. He closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. Something told him this would not be a ‘piece of pie’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This Fic is gonna be pretty tame, there is some angst in later chapters, some seduction. Jack is in almost every chapter, so stick around. give me some writing advice. please dont leave me. I love you. Baby.


	2. Logos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack learns how cool the new prisoners are, and displays excellent moral character when offered a bribe. Be like him, kids.

While Jack was gone, their minds were busy. Bunny paced back and forth in their cell, ears folded. This place had a smothering vibe to it. It was silent like the grave, but buzzed with a predatory energy. It was colorless and dry-looking, like an old photograph, but its shadows were slimy and thick. He could feel this place pressing on him, he couldn’t imagine how Sandy felt.

Somewhere behind him, North spoke.

“He’s coming.”

Bunny looked up. The boy was rounding the corner, looking tired. He had a right to be, Bunny'd admit. He’d just spent twenty minutes trying to reign in Pitch’s minions, and although they seemed to like him, they didn’t acknowledge his authority. At all.

“Ok, ok. Idea.” Tooth said. She waved an arm through the bars, trying to get the boy’s attention. When he didn’t immediately turn to look at her, she cupped her hands around her mouth.

“Hey. Hey, boy.” Tooth called, “C’mere. Boy. Boy. B-”

“Yeah, I heard you the first time, hold on.” The boy jogged over, giving them annoyed look as neared, stopping a few yards away.

“It’s not like I was going anywhere else.” He said.

“What’s your name?” Asked Tooth. The boy pursed his lips, looking off somewhere.

“Ok, _that_ question I’m _not_ supposed to answer.” He said.

“Why?”

“I’m just not.” The boy held a stare off with Tooth, but ultimately relented with a depressed sigh.

“Jack Frost.”

“Aw! That’s a really pretty name.” Said Tooth, voicing Bunny’s own (shameful) thoughts. Jack’s lips parted, as if caught off guard, and he smiled a little. Bunny would’ve called Tooth smooth, if she hadn’t grinned maniacally at the sight of Jack’s pearly white teeth.

“Listen, Jack,” She said. “I got something here.”

Jack looked suspicious and hesitant, but came closer.

“Yeah. That’s it.” Tooth was practically drooling over those teeth, clearly making Jack uncomfortable. When he was just outside of arm's reach, Tooth nodded her head in approval. 

“Alright. Yeah.” She pressed herself against the bars, holding out a closed fist. Jack tilted his head, leaning in. 

“If you let us out,” She said, with a wild grin, “I’ll give you some teeth, kid, you know what? You know what.”

She opened her palm, full of tiny, bloody teeth.

“Wh." Said Jack. He just stared at her hand, stunned, like he didn't even know how to react. Aside from a twitch of his eyebrow, he displayed no emotion.

"Are those from… like, a human?” He asked. His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

“A bunch of humans.” Tooth confirmed, nodding excitedly. Bunny hid his head in his hands. Tooth kept talking. “They have, they have blood on them, nerve endings, they have everything. Full package.”

 _Full package. Ripper._ Bunny thought.

“Well, that’s really… neat. I’m gonna go… get something… ” Said Jack. His voice wavered, squeaking at the end.

Bunny looked out from between his fingers. Jack still wore a poker face, good on him, but he was shaking noticeably.

After he scampered off, Bunny glared at Tooth.

“What?” She asked.

“There he goes.” Said Bunny.

“He needed to get something.” Said Tooth. North placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling in sympathy.

“He is not coming back, Tooth.” He said.

“Wha- What did I do?”

“Big mobs.” Said Bunny, voice rising in frustration. She had looked so proud of herself, he could feel his temper boiling over. “Fucking hell, Tooth! You managed to scare someone who hangs around fear himself!”

“Hey! I did not!” Tooth said. Her feathers fluffed up in anger, and Bunny’s instinct told him to back off at the display. But he wasn’t good at apologizing, and, naturally, he knew this wouldn't end well. 

Luckily, North stepped to mediate before it could turn into an argument.

“Tooth, is ok. Jack is probably just, um, shy! And you, _maybe_ , made him nervous.”

“Really? Is that what happened?” Tooth asked. Sandy smiled and nodded, as tone deaf as ever, while North gave her pitying look.

She deflated, staring out through the bars. On the other side of the cavern, Jack was arguing with Pitch. Bunny sighed, getting up to put a hand on Tooth’s shoulder, the closest to an olive branch he could offer. He wanted to feel bad, he did, but sometimes, Tooth was a lost cause.

“We’ll get ‘em next time.” He said to his friends. “Just… turn it down a bit?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys. you're all beautiful. hope your having a good weekend. comments (good or bad) always motivate me to keep updating. i know theres a lot of fics out there, so thanks for clicking on this one.


	3. Pathos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandy tries.

“I dunno. This still sounds a bit dicky, mate.” Bunny said. Sandy was lying face down, unmoving. North had ruffled his hair, to make him look even sicker and messier than he already did. And Tooth… Tooth was…

...Sending all her saliva to the floor.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?” Bunny hissed. He stared at the growing, milky puddle, just inches from Sandy’s head. It was almost touching his mouth, but he just lay there, unaffected. Did he not hear Tooth hawking?

“It’s gotta look authentic.” Tooth said.

“What-!?”

“Sh. He’s coming back. Be ready.” North whispered. He gave the signal, and everyone rushed to their places. As Jack rounded the corner, North leapt at the bars, startling him.

“Jack! Come quickly!” He cried.

Jack groaned, wiping a hand over his face. He came, frowning tiredly and dragging his feet. But then North moved aside, giving him full view of the cell.

All tiredness left his face when he saw Sandy.

“Whoa. What happened?” He asked. He trotted the rest of the way, craned his long neck when he reached the bars.

Then he paused, seeming to remember himself. Looking at them warily, Jack held up his staff.

“Back.” He commanded. They obeyed, retreating to the far wall. When it was safe, Jack leaned up against the bars, peering in with a surprising amount of pity.

“Hey little guy, you ok?” He asked. His tone was surprisingly gentle, his eyes soft. When Sandy made no move, Jack leaned back and reached for his hoodie pocket.

His hand returned with the key, and Bunny held his breath, stifling an eager grin. The metal glinted joyfully as the key entered the lock.

The key was turning, and Bunny's ears strained to hear a click. 

It never came. The next couple of seconds brought a yellow flash and some screaming. Then Bunny was staring at a fresh pile of black sand where a Nightmare had been standing. 

The entire room was silent, save for the lingering echoes of the horse’s death-shriek. Jack was on the ground, breathing rapidly. The floor around him had froze solid. 

All eyes landed on the key. Unturned, still sheathed deep in the lock.

Tooth was the fastest, but Jack was closer. He yanked the keys out so fast he nearly threw himself to the ground, skinny legs flailing everywhere.

“PITCH!” He called over his shoulder, eyes fixedly on them. “THEY’RE DOING THINGS AGAIN!”

Pitch was over in record time, almost looking worried. Then Jack, visibly relieved, turned to look at him, and all traces of concern vanished. Replaced with crisp annoyance.

His eyes flicked from the icy floor, to the prisoners, to Jack.

Sighing, he ushered Jack over and headed off to some private corner. Jack gripped his staff close, and, giving them one last, distrustful glance, rushed on after him.

They left, and Sandy stomped his foot, frustrated. 

“Good try, Sandy.” Said North. "Little too fast on trigger, though."

Sandy only huffed. He slumped down against the wall with a puff of sand, looking the wrong shade of tired. North frowned in sympathy, and Bunny found his old paranoia resurfacing.

A cold emotion poured through him at the thought that Sandy now had a rapidly approaching expiration date. This place was killing him, all of them. A dusty, grey-lit trap, designed to crush them, in every way possible.

“Listen, guys,” Bunny said, “I. We should look for another way out. Check the walls for some-”

“Checked walls. And bars. Jack is best way out.” Said North.

“Maybe he’s not.” Bunny said, voice rising.

“Bunny, we are all worried, but is no time for giving up.”

Bunny could feel the fear crumbling, giving way to anger. He stood, muscles vibrating with it, to weak to stamp it down.

“There. Is. No. Time.” He cried. North flinched at the volume of his voice, but Bunny didn’t care. “Even if Jack is somehow open to helping _us_ , his friend’s _worst enemies,_ we’re scaring him. He’ll stop coming back. If we don’t get Sandy outta here soon, we never will.”

At the end of his speech, the cell went quiet. Faintly, he could hear Jack and Pitch’s distant argument, as if solidifying his point.

“We will.” North finally said.

Bunny sighed, anger leaving him. Arguing was useless with North, nine times out of ten. So he straightened his shoulders and fixed the man with his most intense, I'm-older-than-you look.

“Then you better think of something good, North.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Hope you had a good week. I missed you real bad. So bad, Babe.
> 
> Thank you for commenting! I hope a lot of good luck comes your way. Unfortunately, all I can do is try to update regularly for you. I love you. Babe. 
> 
> Remember: This is my first fic, and I'm looking for some advice, so don't be afraid to give me some criticism. Complements and flames are also appreciated.


	4. Ethos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North is kind of dumb. He means well though.

North had been standing by the bars for over twenty minutes now. When Bunny had said, ‘think of something good,’ he meant it in a timely sense. North wasn’t a stupid man, he did well under pressure and was, by far, the most creative of the group (something Bunny had envied since the beginning), but his thought process was sporadic and fleeting. His ideas were like lightning, brilliant and unscheduled. 

In other words, this could take another five minutes, or several hours.

Bunny himself was thinking as hard as he could, but he didn’t see anyway around it. Sandy was looking grayer by the second, and they'd already wasted so much time. What he wouldn't give to go back and warn himself. 

North made another annoying ‘hmm’ sound from where was standing. He had a finger on his bottom lip, and his arms were crossed. Every so often, he’d rock back on his heels, like it would help him think.  

“We are doing this wrong.” North muttered. “We need boy to _trust_ us.”

“No, we need the keys.” Said Bunny. North ignored him, pacing by the bars.

“What we do, first time he sees us?” He asked. The cell was quiet. “We show him human tooth collection, and throw sand at him.”

Tooth and Sandy had the decency to look guilty, but Bunny just rolled his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips, and he could only hide it part way, so he turned his head to the side.

He looked at Jack through the bars. He was curled up on the railing of a dusty bridge, by one of the Nightmares, stroking its nose absently. It was a deceptively innocent picture, if not outright disgusting. Bunny narrowed his eyes, determinedly unfooled.

“We need to appeal to his better nature.” North said. And Bunny wanted to believe him. He did. 

He just had common sense.

“He doesn’t have a better nature.” Said Bunny. “He’s with Pitch, for one thing-”

“He is not like Pitch.”

“He is not a child.”

North went silent. Bunny held his stare, unwavering for several moments, before North spoke again, more gently.

“I never said that.”

Bunny forced the surliness from his face, trying to appear calmer. It wasn't easy, he could still feel his eye-lid twitching.

“You’re betting on a pretty horse. Jack doesn’t look or talk like Pitch, that doesn’t mean he’s different.”

“There is more to him than his surroundings, Bunny. I feel it.” North said, and Bunny swiped a paw over his forehead.

“Fuck’s sake.” 

North fixed him with a determined look. Bunny returned it with an equal amount of doubt. As much as he appreciated the optimism, he had a feeling everything was turning south. But North was stubborn, just a little more stubborn than Bunny.

In the end, Bunny would do what he always did; give North a firm warning and be ignored.

Half an hour later, Jack came around holding a jug.

“I brought water.” He said tersely. “Don’t be weird. This isn’t a favor, just… water’s important.”

He placed the jug beside the bars, eyeing them closely. He had the posture of someone caught in a heavy rain without a coat, or approaching an unpredictable animal. It became a needlessly tense moment, but when they remained still, Jack's eyes dimmed and his shoulders fell. He set the jug within arms reach and backed away slowly.

Bunny leaned forward to examine the water. His mouth was sticky and dry, but he couldn't bring himself to drink. There was nothing wrong with it, it smelled and looked like clean, fresh water.

He moved aside and left it for his friends, giving Jack a wary look.

“Thanks.” He said. 

“Don’t mention it.” Said Jack. “Seriously.” He put a finger to his lips, “Don’t tell.” 

Bunny quirked an eyebrow.

Jack turned away, and North stood.

“Jack, wait.” North said. Jack sighed, but didn’t turn. His face was at angle, Bunny could only see the sharp line of his cheek, and long, dark eyelashes. Why did men always have the longest eyelashes? Seriously.

Seconds went by, and when Jack kept showing off his pretty lashes, North continued.

“Jack, I believe-”

“Could’ja skip to the end?” Asked Jack. His voice was tired, subdued. Bunny was unsurprised, considering how often he'd argued with Pitch in the last few hours. Technically, it was their fault, but Bunny didn’t care.

Well, maybe he did. Maybe Tired Jack would be easier to manipulate. 

“Pitch, I’m sure, has told you many horror stories.” North said.

“Yeah, but you filled all the blanks, don’t worry.” Said Jack. Bunny chuckled.

“I bet we did.” He said. North glared at him.

“Many blanks are still unfilled, Jack.” He said, pausing for dramatic effect. “We are Guardians."

Jack was looking at them over his shoulder now, but his stare was blank, unrecognizing.  

"Of children. We protect them, their wonder. Their hope, and joy.”

Bunny saw something flicker across Jack's face. 

 _Come on, North_. Bunny thought.  _Don't screw this up._

“...Jack,” North pleaded gently, “the world _needs_ us. The children _need_ us.”

Jack turned around completely and Bunny chewed the inside of his cheek. He studied Jack’s face for emotion, and eerily, found nothing. Tired Jack, it seemed, was just as unswayable than Normal Jack, if not more so. There was a new, don’t-give-me-shit vibe coming off him. For a second, Bunny thought Jack would turn and leave again. He certainly looked like it.

Then Jack took a step closer.

North leaned far into the bars, the fur of his coat pushing through. He was hunched over, ears at his shoulders, subtly holding himself at Jack’s level. Bunny bit his lip, waiting for Jack to lean back, run, even, but Jack held his ground.

“...And right now, _we_ need you.” North finished with a hopeful nod. Bunny wanted to roll his eyes at how cheesy it was, but it wouldn't sell if he made a face. Instead, he tried to mirror Jack’s neutral expression. 

Jack’s eyes raked over them, decisive, calculating. And for a second, Bunny found himself hopeful. Because Maybe North was right. Maybe Jack was deeper than this place, than the cavern, than his friendship with Pitch.

And then Jack tilted his head, eyes lidded, and Bunny knew it was over.

“Yeah you’re not gonna get to me that way.” He said. 

North's face dropped.

"Pitch told me how this works. You need the kids more than they need you. And honestly, at this point they need Pitch more than they need you.”

“ _Pitch_?” North cried, wrinkling his nose in confusion. “You cannot trust Pitch! To protect the children!” 

Jack shrugged, and North reeled in animated despair.

“Pitch isn’t as bad as he looks." Said Jack. "And, he’s trustworthy... You aren’t.”

He gave them one last, sassy look, and left. 

“No no no nO COME BACK! Ippolitov Ivanov!” He whined. He beat his head against the bars and Sandy patted his leg weakly.

Bunny just sighed. He could barely muster any emotion now, besides bitter disappointment and fear. He wasn’t out of smugness, though.

“North. Why in the fucking hell did you think that would work?” He asked.

North only gave him a pitiful look. He felt a minor pang of regret, so he broke eye contact and pushed it away.

"Whatever. Just. I don't know." He said.

The cell sunk into a pit of deep silence, and Tooth let out a strained breath.

"What next?" She asked.

No one answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! I did a lot of travelling this weekend, with no internet access. Just barely managed to finish this today. But here it is.
> 
> this chapter is honestly a little dumb but the next one might be better


	5. They try something else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if you can't beat em, uhhhhh

“Guys, I think he’s into Pitch.” Said Tooth. She was pressed against the bars, watching their captors hold a distant conversation. 

“No he’s not… ” Said Bunny. He joined the others by the bars, taking his place next to Sandy. He was careful not to jostle him, as Sandy already looked pained and unsteady on his feet. He tried not to think about Sandy's condition too much, he could feel the anxiety of the past hours building up and he wanted to keep a clear head.

“Yeah, no, he’s biting his lip. Look.” Said Tooth.

She was right. Pitch was doing most of the talking, with Jack paying close attention. His lower lip was between his teeth, and his hand was running through his hair. It was kind of cute, in a boyish, sexy way. 

Bunny physically shook his head to escape the thought.

“What about his lip?” He asked, but was ignored.

“Oh, lookit- look at his leg.” Tooth hissed. Jack had rested most of his weight on one leg, letting the other swing back and forth lightly, like a pendelum. When it hooked behind his ankle, Tooth put a fist to her mouth and leaned back. 

“Cyka blyat.” Muttered North, through his fingers. He stroked at his beard with a fluttery hand, and Bunny had enough of his friends' cryptic behavior.

“I don’t- what's goin' on?” He asked. He didn’t understand what had them so wound up. Even Sandy was pushing at his leg, trying to get a better look. He moved his foot to the side.

“No wonder he doesn’t trust us." Said Tooth. "He’s eating up everything Pitch says.”

“We need to divert his… attention... from Pitch.” Said North. “Maybe use one of us?”

Bunny stared at him.

“Ummm… what?” He asked.

“Good idea!” Said Tooth. “But who?” She asked. The hopeful inflection in her voice answered none of Bunny's questions.

“Not you, Tooth.” Said North.

“Aww. Why not?”

“Too short. Jack… seems to like the tall ones. Yes.” North said. “Sorry Sandy.” 

Sandy just shrugged, but Tooth was clearly offended, judging by her puffed feathers. Bunny cringed, knowing she was sensitive about her height. Why would being short even matter anyway?

“You’re just saying that because you’re tall. You look old enough to be his dad!” She said.

“Maybe he wants… dad _ dy _ ?” North said. Even as it left his mouth, he looked disturbed with himself. 

“WHOA. ‘ANG ON.” Bunny cried. His friends stopped arguing and looked at him.

“...Are you suggesting we send someone to  _ crack onto him _ ?” Bunny asked . He looked at each of their blank faces, at Tooth and Sandy and North, hoping desperately that he was wrong.

“...Yeah, pretty much.”

“Da.”

Bunny threw his paws up.

“No.” He said. “We’re not doing this.”

Tooth's eyes widened, and she held up a finger.

“Wait! No, we could use Bunny!” She suggested. 

Well, damn. This was exactly what he was afraid of. 

“Mate… I’m a bunny. I don’t… It doesn’t look like he’s into that…”

“Maybe not. But you are not  _ really _ bunny. You are Pooka. Shapeshifter, no?” Said North. It was true, to an extent. His ability wasn’t very advanced, but he could manage a species of similar size. Not counting his miniature form, which was involuntary and only occured when he was… well. 

“You are very handsome as human!” North blurted. Bunny face palmed.

“No.”

“You actually really look like Hugh Jackman, though.” Said Tooth. Sandy nodded and gave a thumbs up. Bunny raised his hands at the onslaught of compliments. If he could, he’d be sweating. This was reaching new levels of awkward.  


“I appreciate it, I, yeah,” He put a paw to his chin and looked away. They were staring at him again, and he didn’t like it. “Jack… he goes alright, alright? But, no. This ain’t gonna work.”

“You have better idea?” Asked North. Bunny sighed, rubbing his thumb over his mouth. He hated it when North was right.

“Seriously, this could be our last chance. What do we have to lose?” Asked Tooth.

_ Sandy. _ Thought Bunny. 

“I’ll give it a burl.” He said. "But how to we get him to come back?"

He gestured to Jack, who was resting atop one of the neglected metal cages as casually as a bird. He looked calmer, but less worn out. Likely, Pitch had released him from guard duty, and it had raised his mood. He hadn't been around for at least an hour, which wasn't a good sign. 

His friends were silent a while, before Tooth nodded to herself.

"I might have an idea, guys." She said.

"I hope so, sheila." Said Bunny. "I hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gee i wonder what's gonna happen next
> 
> i hope they fuck, amr
> 
> Nah i hope you guys had a good week. I've been really busy, and updating on time is hard. boo hoo. anyway, i hope you're enjoying it so far, the next chapter is on its way. have a good week. 
> 
> until next time.


End file.
